The Light of London
by ReynaSilvius
Summary: Silviana di Merrovingia is a normal London girl, growing up the daughter of a duchess. She has an incredible talent for solving mysteries, and has been sought for her skills many times. All is well until the day that the most valuable possession of one of her mother's friends go missing. What can Silviana do to solve this mystery?


Part One

Silviana di Merrovingia bit her lip as the quill in her hand flew across the page as she she slowly turned around to look at her wallpaper. It was dark grey, in the Victorian style, since the year was 1896.

She checked the heavy golden pocket watch that hung around her neck. _It's 7:30 pm, Mom will want me back home soon. Time to call my maid, Serafina,_ she thought.

Silviana was the most famous detective in London since she had solved the "Mystery of the Vollnero's Murder", in which she had figured out who had murdered Henry Vollnero, one of London's prominent residents. However, since Silviana was only 12 years old, it was only after much begging that the Duchess di Merrovingia, Silviana's mother, had allowed Silviana to create her detective agency, and she had threatened to close it if Silviana came back home a minute late.

"Come on, Serafina!", Silviana yelled.

After her maid came into the room, Silviana headed out of the building, locking the door behind her. At that moment, a carriage appeared at the curb, and Silviana neatly stepped into it. Even though it was raining, she could have sworn a man was following the carriage.

Part Two

Silviana stepped out of the carriage, and into her house. Her mother looked very pleased that she was on time. Just as she was taking off her coat, someone rang the doorbell. Their butler, John, ran over to the door and opened it. Silviana gasped very quietly to herself. It was her mother's friend Athena Sorialis's butler. He looked very frightened, so the Duchess waved him in.

"What's wrong?", Silviana asked.

"Oh, Duchess di Merrovingia, and Miss Silviana, a great misfortune has been bestowed upon us. Ms. Sorialis's star sapphire has been stolen!", he gasped.

The Duchess and Silviana stared at each other in shock.

"Miss Silviana's services have been requested, so may I take her to Ms. Sorialis's home?", he asked.

"Yes, you may, but she must be back at 9:30 pm.", her mother replied. Silviana, dazed by shock, only managed to grab her pencil and notebook before being pulled out the door.

Part Three

Athena Sorialis sat in her parlour with her husband. Silviana noticed that she looked pale and tired.

"How are you Miss. Sorialis?," Silviana asked.

" I'm not fine. I hate to burden you with my problems, but I know that you are a very good detective, so I wish to have your services in this matter.", Athena murmured.

"I will help you, Athena, but just tell me what happened first."

"Well, last Friday night, which was five days ago, I was hosting a party.", Athena said.

"I was having a very good time, so I was quite sad to see the guests go. At 9:30 pm, I headed upstairs to use the bathroom. When I left five minutes later, I decided to make sure that the "Light of London", my sapphire, was still in the study. However, when I got to the study, it wasn't there! At that time, I was so shocked that I fainted, but before that happened, I noticed that the glass case that it was in hadn't been broken, and the door of it was swinging open."

It was well known that the Sorialis' had hired the best locksmiths in the country to craft a lock that was practically impossible to open without the key. The fact that the lock had been opened proved to Silviana that whoever had stolen the sapphire was very good at opening locks or had hired someone to do so. She also noted that people had offered very high prices to buy Athena's sapphire, but she had refused to sell it.

"Who are the suspects, Athena?", Silviana asked.

"Well, they are as follows: Minerva Eaglepine, my nemesis; Luna Baker, my maid; Henry Duchfield, the man who wanted to buy my sapphire; and James de Faubourg, my brother. Minerva being my enemy, would obviously want to steal it to humiliate me, Luna is badly in debt, Henry wanted the sapphire and would stop at nothing to get it, and James is also badly in debt because of his wife. These people were all seen upstairs during the time of the party. The study is also located upstairs.", Athena replied.

"Were any other people there as well?", Silviana asked.

"The Comtesse du Berry also went upstairs, but I'm certain she didn't steal the sapphire because I didn't see her go into the study. You may go see the suspects now, Silviana. Also, watch out for the policemen that are there. Lastly, please do not tell anyone else that my sapphire is missing. The press doesn't know, and I don't want any publicity. I have also told the police that you are investigating this case for me, so feel free to ask them for assistance when you need it," Athena replied.

Part Four

The suspects were all sitting in Athena's drawing room. They all looked very tired and white, but that was probably because of the fact that there were police surrounding them. Silviana quickly scanned them.

Taking a deep breath, Silviana said,"I'm here to help Mrs. Sorialis. Now, ladies and gentlemen, would you be so kind to tell me what you were doing at around 9:30 pm last Friday?"

Silviana knew that the thief, who had to be in the room, would not tell the truth, but hopefully, their alibi would have some holes in it, and allow Silviana to figure out who it was.

Minerva Eaglepine spoke first, looking very angry. "I have nothing to do with that wretched sapphire of Athena's! Around that time, I was dancing with William Sorialis, that woman's husband! Ask him if you want, but I had nothing to do with the theft!"

After Minerva made her statement, Henry Duchfield spoke. "At that time, I wasn't even inside the house! I had left Athena's to go back home to fetch a gift that I had planned on giving to her. I plead myself innocent, and you can take that to the police, Miss di Merrovingia!" He was looking quite red.

When it was Luna Baker's turn to speak she looked quite tired and said, "I'm Mrs. Sorialis's maid. Why would I harm my own mistress? As to your other question, I was in the kitchen, washing the dishes."

While all the other suspects were speaking, James de Faubourg was silently staring at the wall and tapping the floor agitatedly. Finally, he said, "I was using the bathroom at around that time. I know that because I always keep a watch with me, and at that particular time, I was wondering what time it was, so I checked my watch. Athena is my own sister, for goodness sakes!"

The suspects all seemed to have solid alibis, but she told herself not to give up just because they all seemed to be fine at first glance. "Thank you for telling me about what you were doing at that time. I'm very thankful to all of you for assisting my investigation."

Silviana took her notebook full of notes and walked out of the room, reminding herself that all the suspects would go back to their regular jobs the next day. _I'll have to act fast because the thief is likely to sell the sapphire as quickly as possible,_ she thought.

Part Five

The next afternoon, Silviana decided to head back to Athena's house to learn more about each of the suspects. She decided to talk with Athena about Luna Baker, her maid.

"Luna is very nice to us, and she's been out maid for a very long time. If she really is the thief, that would be quite dreadful. However, she seems to have rather expensive tastes, which contributes to her debt.", Athena said.

Silviana then asked, "What do you know about James de Faubourg?"

"Well, he is my brother, that's certain. He's married to Lydia Giarada, who is ruining him, and he is in bad need of money. I could certainly understand why he would want to steal my sapphire, but I just can't imagine him doing it!", Athena answered.

Silviana nodded, then quickly walked over to where Mr. Sorialis was sitting. He was well known for hating Mrs. Eaglepine because of the way that she treated Athena.

"Is it true that you were dancing with Ms. Eaglepine last night at around 9:30 pm? Please, sir, do tell the truth, for the sake of your wife!"

"Yes, Miss di Merrovingia, I will tell the truth. I was indeed dancing with Ms. Eaglepine last night at 9:30 pm."

Silviana thanked both of them for their time and walked out of the house. Wrapping up all of her thoughts, Silviana drew a line through Minerva's name, having enough proof that she was indeed not in the study at the time of the theft. Even though she was Athena's enemy, Silviana knew for sure that Minerva Eaglepine was not the thief. Silviana then started to run towards Hatton Garden.

Panting as she paused for breath, Silviana looked around the street where she was. A street sign told her that she was at Hatton Garden, a street that was famous for the number of jewelry stores there. Silviana silently thanked her parents, since she had figured out where Henry Duchfield lived by looking at the business card he had left behind a few days ago, while attempting to sell them a ring. Attempting to look normal, Silviana pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, then quickly crossed the street to the house where Henry Duchfield lived. She hid behind a bush, hoping that she wouldn't be discovered before being able to talk with his coachman.

At precisely 3:20 pm, Henry Duchfield walked out of his house. He said something to a man inside the house, then angrily marched out. Silviana made sure that he wasn't on the street anymore, and then knocked on the door.

"Who's there?", a man inside the house shouted.

"It is I, Silviana di Merrovingia! State what position you occupy in Mr. Henry Duchfield's household!", Silviana replied.

"Why should I tell you?", he replied.

"I am the daughter of the Duchess di Merrovingia, and I am investigating a very important case. If you are obstructing me, I shall call the police!"

"Very well then, Miss di Merrovingia. I am Ferrell Larkin, the coachman of Mr. Duchfield."

Silviana couldn't believe her luck. This was the very man that she was looking for! Barely containing her excitement, she said,"Mr. Larkin, may I talk to you for a few moments, please?"

"Of course.", he answered, then showed her into the house.

Not bothering to take in her surroundings, Silviana said, "Mr. Larkin, did you drive Mr. Duchfield home last Friday night at around 9:30 pm? If so, did he go into the house with a sapphire necklace? Also, did he come out with a gift?"

"Yes, Miss di Merrovingia, I did accompany him home at that time. However, I do not believe that he was carrying a necklace, but I did hear him say something about giving a box of chocolate to Ms. Sorialis."

Silviana thanked him, then walked out of the house. However, she didn't feel satisfied with Mr. Larkin's answer. He was a member of Mr. Duchfield's household, and might have a reason to lie to her. Therefore, Silviana decided to cross the street again to talk with one of his neighbours, to see if he or she saw Mr. Duchfield come home at around 9:30 pm.

Silviana wandered along Hatton Garden until she reached a shop. Then she shouted, "Yes! Yes! I've finally reached it!" Silviana crossed the threshold of the shop, then marched straight up to the counter where the owner was standing.

It was Merkel Androgyne, one of her family's longtime friends. He was a thoroughly honest man that never lied, no matter how much pressure he was under, and that had been proven when he had been called up as a witness in the trial of the killer of Mr. Vollnero. It had been later revealed that the killer had tried to bribe him unsuccessfully.

"Hello Mr. Androgyne! It's me, Silviana. May I talk to you for a few minutes?", she asked.

Recognizing her as the daughter of his longtime friends, Merkel said, "Of course. Now, what is it that you wanted to know?"

"Well, did you see the carriage of a man named Henry Duchfield on last Friday night at around 9:30 pm?"

"Yes, Miss. I remembered having been outside to visit a friend's at 9:00 pm, and I saw Mr. Duchfield coming back. As you know, Hatton Garden has a dead end, so there is only one way to enter and exit it. When I came back at 9:30 pm, I noticed that Mr. Duchfield's carriage was leaving Hatton Garden."

It was now clear that Henry Duchfield was not the thief since he had came back at 9:00 pm, a half-hour before the theft had occurred. Silviana crossed out Mr. Duchfield's name, then headed back home for a long night's rest.

The next day, Silviana decided to investigate James de Faubourg. She had found out from a newspaper that he was only staying in London for a week or so to conduct some government business.

Silviana slowly walked into the Savoy Hotel. She had asked Athena where James was staying, and Athena had pointed out the Savoy on a map she had. The Savoy Hotel was a famous London hotel that was near the Strand, a prominent area of London where many rich people lived. Silviana quickly walked inside, up to the man who was standing at the counter.

Attempting not to feel guilty for lying, Silviana said, "Hello, Sir. I am Regina Everine, Athena Sorialis's maid. Can you please tell me which room Mr. de Faubourg is staying at?"

"Room 309. He also told me to tell Ms. Sorialis's maid that he would not be available at 2:30 pm to have tea with her since he has some business to finish. He will be available tomorrow though."

Silviana politely thanked him, then pretended to be very interested in a painting there. About five minutes later, de Faubourg walked out. Silviana decided to follow him.

It soon became obvious where he was heading. De Faubourg made many twists and turns until he arrived in Hatton Garden. There he had gone into a jeweler's shop, then gave the jeweler something. Afterwards the jeweler gave de Faubourg a large sum of money.

Silviana instantly became suspicious. _Maybe he's selling the sapphire!_ she thought. Silviana decided to head back to Athena's to see if her hunch was true. If he didn't own a pocket watch and there wasn't a clock in the bathroom, then he probably was the culprit.

When she arrived at Athena's home, Silviana was feeling impatient.

Silviana immediately said, "Athena, does de Faubourg own a pocket watch?"

"Yes. It was our family heirloom."

Silviana still wasn't satisfied, so she went upstairs to the bathroom, on the pretext of having to use it. When she went inside, Silviana noticed that there was a clock on the wall which was easily visible while one was using the bathroom. Therefore, that meant that while one was using the bathroom, one could easily see the clock, and therefore, the time.

"By the process of elimination, Luna must be the thief since all the others have alibis that can be backed up.", Silviana said. The only thing left now was to find Luna and catch her in the act of selling the sapphire.

Part Six

Silviana picked up the Public Advertiser, a London newspaper with only advertisements in it, and flipped to the jewelers' page. At the very top, it said, " **Come to Gregory & Co. to buy a star sapphire! Only £40, 000!"** Silviana frowned; most star sapphires those days cost more than £70, 000. She decided to continue reading the ad. At the end, she scowled. The description matched Athena's sapphire perfectly.

Silviana decided to go to Gregory & Co. to have a look at the sapphire because she had a terrible feeling that it was indeed Athena's. She quickly told her mother that she was going to investigate Athena's case, then got into her family carriage.

When she finally arrived at Gregory & Co, Silviana immediately noticed a young woman there. She had dark hair, grey eyes, and a slim build. The woman was talking to the clerk, and when she had finished, pocketed a large wad of cash and then turned around.

It was Luna Baker. Silviana marched towards her, and yelled, "Ms. Baker, you may give back that cash! You are under arrest!"

"What? How? I haven't done anything wrong!", she exclaimed.

Laughing hoarsely, Silviana gently pulled the sapphire necklace away from the clerk.

Silviana said, "I guess that this isn't something you wanted to ever see again? Well, Ms. Baker, you are the one who stole Mrs. Athena Sorialis's sapphire necklace."

Everyone around them gasped. Luna looked white with fear. Suddenly, two policemen appeared behind her, having heard the commotion. They grabbed Luna and marched her off to the police station.

Part Seven

A few days later, Silviana was back at Athena's house.

"It's quite simple, Athena. Luna was badly in debt and had nothing to pay off with. When she saw the star sapphire, she decided to steal it. After she was arrested, I learned that that her father was a locksmith. It would have been quite simple for her to make a cast of your key, then insert it into the lock to open it. That involved knowledge of locks, specifically on how to open them. In your case, when inserted, the key would have perfectly lined up three bars, causing the door to the case to open. Knowing that only your key could do that, Luna must have decided to try to "recreate" your key. Since she was your maid, no one would have minded her going upstairs during the party. What happened was that she went upstairs during the party, inserted her cast into the lock, stole your sapphire, then pocketed it in her dress. She would have done this while you were in the bathroom, to ensure that no one else would see her, and that you wouldn't get suspicious that the sapphire was missing. Here you go, Athena!", Silviana said., handing Athena the sapphire.

"Thank you, Silviana!", Athena replied, looking very relieved.

 _That concludes yet another mystery,_ Silviana thought as she got into the carriage.


End file.
